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Good place online to buy pre-stocked first aid kits.

3K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  jwhite75 
#1 ·
I recently bought a new vehicle, and am currently in the process of buying all the basic supplies I deem necessary to have in it. Good flashlight, seat belt cutter, a decent tool kit, blankets, tow strap, jumper cables, flares, ect... (the list is quite long). One of the things I am trying to locate is a decent first aid kit to cover anything from basic boo-boos up to a bit more severe trauma.

I'm not an EMT or anything like that, but do have a lot of training in battlefield medicine, as well as some real world application on things like GSW's, knife wounds, and burns. Basically I know enough to keep someone going until they can get to a higher level of care, depending on the type of wounds they have. I don't want to get into the legalities of rendering first aid, or the fact that you can get sued ect... I'm going to put a decent first aid kit in my vehicle, if for no other reason than self-aid can keep me alive until responders get to me.

So, who knows of any good places to buy pre-stocked kits?

This one from the Red cross seems like an ok place to start, especially for more minor stuff: http://www.redcrossstore.org/Shopper/Product.aspx?UniqueItemId=181

I already know that I will be adding a couple of CAT tourniquets and my trauma shears to the kit, as both can be very useful. And maybe some hemostatic gauze, if I can get my hands on some extra packs. And I keep duct tape in the vehicle (it has several medical uses I have seen) Can anyone else think of some good things to add to a basic kit, usable by a layman.
 
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#4 ·
As a street medic I'd say that the Red Cross one is pretty weak for handling some basic traumas. I like the first responder kits a lot better and if you have the money the following is a good start:

The Professional Emergency Response First Aid Kit, 262 pc Item#FA-504

I would love to have the Emergency Responder Trauma Kit with the quick clot powder and a fair amount of burn treatments and trauma dressings... of course it's > $200.

I'd stay away from kits that are heavy on thermometers and aspirin etc. and focus on ones that have a good supply of dressing, tourny's etc. You very rarely need a temperature in a hurry. :smile:
 
#5 ·
Here's a couple I've used:

http://www.galls.com/google/category.html?assort=general_catalog&cat=9553;

https://www.e-firstaidsupplies.com/medical-supplies.html?gclid=CLfSzdHSu6MCFQhGnQodsXYDZg;

My wife has some favorites too. All of the above posts are good, you can also build several by buying bulk supplies:

http://www.mcrmedical.com/

Unless you get real pricey, most kits are long on bandages and the like (cheap stuff), and short on triangulars, wraps and pads. Also, for instance, CPR breathers are pricey, a necessity if you're trained, and a "Should Have" in kits. Consider buying in bulk at, say, at MCR and then build several kits for cars, BOB's, treks, home and the like.

Also consider army surplus bags and army surplus kits.
 
#7 · (Edited)
You will need to add a few things to any kit. nitroglycerin tabs for heart attacks (some aspirin 325 mg for same); compression dressings for heavy bleeding (avoid tourniquets); an epi-pen for anaphylactic reactions to insects or peanuts, etc.; petrolatum/gauze dressings so you can make a flap-valve dressing for sucking chest wounds. Pass on the mouth mask stuff for CPR; you are MUCH better using the new standard of compression only (harder, deeper and faster) and forget about the rescue breathing for all except young children. two sizes of nasal trumpet airways are an excellent addition.

Look carefully at the kit contents. If you don't know what an item is for, you don't need it. Make sure that you have several(3or 4) pairs of latex free (try the nitril ones) gloves and ALWAYS use them for your own protection and the patient's. You also need a pencil and pad to have someone write down the time, actions, description, etc. of what happened and who did what. You must have this if you go to court.

AS long as you are not licensed to practice medicine or EMS, you are protected under most states good samaritan legislation against charges of ordinary negligence. If you are licensed, you are held to a higher standard and could easily have a BIG problem if something goes wrong. Everyone is subject to allegations of GROSS NEGLIGENCE, licensed or not. Be careful and carry an umbrella policy with high limit.

this one is about the minimum I'd suggest for most emergencies assuming you added the tiems above and some sterile saline/water for washing wounds
http://www.galls.com/google/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=TK085

Dr Bob Emergency Physician
 
#12 ·
A lot of good advice there Dr., but honestly that kit looks a bit beyond both what I am trying to spend, as well as beyond my skill level. I know the money thing is a crap excuse, because if I need a medical kit, I need a medical kit and will want the best one possible, but its part of life. I think this one looks like a decent one for someone with my skills: http://www.galls.com/google/style.html?assort=general_catalog&cat=&style=TK080 . For chest wounds obviously the real dressing are best, but I can make an expedient one that works too if I need to, but I'll look into some of the real ones (I forget the proper name). Tourniquets are for combat medicine mostly, and my hands will probably be free for compression/pressure to stop bleeding, but I have some CAT tourniquets lying around, so I'll add them. Plus I have some "combat gauze" hemostatic dressings I can add (much better than quikclot from what I have seen).

Right now I'm rolling on an issued style IFAK, which is fine for just me, but I want something a little better.
 
#13 ·
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